Karnataka to publish drug procurement information online for govt health facilities
Bengaluru: In a significant step towards enhancing transparency and improving public healthcare delivery, the Karnataka State Medical Services Corporation Limited (KSMCL) will soon publish all drug procurement information online. The initiative aims to ensure both the quality and consistent availability of essential medicines at government hospitals and public health centres across the state.
The decision comes after a meeting between KSMCL officials and representatives of Sarvatrika Arogya Andolana-Karnataka (SAA-K), a grassroots campaign advocating for universal healthcare, as well as members of the Drug Action Forum, as reported by Deccan Herald on Tuesday.
A letter was addressed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, and KSMCL Managing Director Kanagavalli M, urging them to make procurement data publicly accessible and ensure consistent supply of medicines and stock maintenance of regularly needed medicines.
"We have called for tenders to supply drugs. We will ensure that there is transparency in the process and that consistency is maintained. We have e-aushadha and e-upakarana for health centres to place orders for drugs," DH quoted Rao as saying.
Representatives from SAA-K pointed out persistent issues in the supply chain, especially affecting economically disadvantaged patients. They mentioned that poor people were being refused medicines as there was no stock in the department.
"The software can be put to better use here to calculate stocks and to ensure that there transparency in the system," DH quoted Dr Akshay, a representative of SAA-K, as saying.
He stated that if a doctor prescribes medicines for multiple months, those medicines must be available each month. “If it is available one month and not the following month, people are forced to buy them from private pharmacies,” Akshay added.
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BJP using women's quota bill as front to pass Delimitation Bill that will break India: Mamata
Cooch Behar (WB) (PTI): Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday alleged the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre was using the proposed amendment to the women's quota law in Parliament as a front for the Delimitation Bill that would "break the country into pieces".
The TMC will fight this Central government's move at every step, she asserted at her party's poll rally here.
The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill to tweak the women's quota law, along with the Delimitation Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, to implement the proposed amended women's quota law, in the Union territories of Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir, were introduced in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
According to the Constitution amendment bill, Lok Sabha seats will be increased to a maximum of 850 from the current 543 to "operationalise" the women's reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census.
Seats will also be increased in state and Union territory assemblies to accommodate 33 per cent reservation for women.
Opposing the Centre's move, Banerjee alleged that "the BJP brought the Delimitation Bill while keeping the women's reservation bill at the front".
"The BJP is trying to increase the number of seats in the Lok Sabha to nearly 850 through the Delimitation Bill. It will break the country into pieces," the TMC supremo said.
She also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not speaking the truth about the development of north Bengal at a BJP rally last week.
"The prime minister said nothing was done for the development of north Bengal. But we spent Rs 1.72 lakh crore on the development of the region," Banerjee said and asked Modi to cross-check data before making such remarks.
